Population of Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna lewini Griffith and Smith, 1834) caught in aceh barat and aceh jaya water

Abstract

Hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini Griffith & Smith, 1834) is catch target for Indonesian fisherman. Based on conservation status of hammerhead sharks in Indonesia, it is included in Appendix II CITES, thus hammerhead shark has gained a tremendous attention in the field of capture fisheries. This study was aimed to examine some populations of hammerhead sharks caught in the waters of Aceh Barat and Aceh Jaya from January to July 2014. Samples were obtained from fisherman catches in the waters of Aceh Barat and Aceh Jaya landed at PPI Ujong Baroh Meulaboh. Descriptive analysis and assessment using ELEFAN 1 in FiSAT II were performed. The results showed that 311 hammerhead sharks caught were dominated by male (111 sharks) at length ranging from 70.5 to 91.5 cm and female (57 sharks) at length ranging from 70.5 to 91.5 cm. The female sharks were included in immature young shark group, which potentially led to recruitment overfishing. Asymptote length of hammerhead shark may reach 262.50 cm. The rate of growth and mortality of female shark is higher than that of male shark. The population of hammerhead sharks has experienced excessive catching, thus their proper management and utilization were needed to make them sustainable and available in maximum length.